biggest fan of princess!?!?!

[badissa]

Oh my............what to do!?!?! I cruised for the first time on the Carribean Princess in January and it met and truly exceeded my expectations! Now, I am faced with booking our next "girls cruise" in Jan with hopes of a Western Itinerary. A little about our group: age 24-27 para-professional girls, single, love to have a good time, not into the ""get drunk and act like an idiot"" routine (we are over that) loved the luxury of CP especially our suite! would really like to try a new line to see what else is out there. To be fair at least......... I feel like I could cruise the CP again but my friends are set on a new line. PLease help me to decide on a ship/line that we can have another memorable experience on. Thanks in advance

[cnmiranda]

Your nearest competitor would be RCCL but truth be told after our last two RCCL cruises in the past month we appreciate Princess even more. Of course everyone has their own likes and dislikes:)

 

RCCL will have a younger crowd but to me the food and repeat customer program is much better on Princess. RCCL charges more than Princess for the add ons such as soda and internet usage, no self laundry. RCCL does have midnight buffets.

 

HAL is very good also but I don't think you'll find many in your age group on the ship.

 

If being among others your age is most important than go ahead and try RCCL.

 

Sorry, I haven't sailed NCL in years but when I sailed the Dawn way back it did have good entertainment. Perhaps travelers with more recent NCL experience can respond.

 

Finally, if you do choose RCCL the top internet brokers are allowing limited discounts in form of cruise credit on select sailings. Don't immediately accept rccl pricing, you may be able to do better through a travel agent.

[badissa]

great advice! It did not bother us that we were "young for the ship", it made for wonderful conversations. I am thinking of maybe Jewel of the Seas.......

[caviargal]

Any of the Radiance class ships on RCI are a great choice overall. They are, IMO, amongst the most beautiful ships afloat. I have not cruised on Caribbean Princess but was aboard for several hours a few months ago. She is a pretty ship but not nearly as pretty as Jewel with the acres of glass and centrum.

 

There are many activities on RCI and the live music and entertainment is very good. The gym is awesome!

 

Food is subjective. I cannot campare as I have not been on Princess in many years. I like the specialty restaurants myself.

 

The ship is smaller but holds considerably fewer passengers.

 

Many folks like RCI's Voyager class of ships but personally I think RCI's Radiance class they have to offer.

 

Stay away from HAL. At your age, you would be bored.

 

And RCI has a great past guest program so I disagree with the poster above who says they do not. A concierge lounge that serves a private breakfast and complimentary cocktails and hor d'oevres each evening is available to their Diamond and Diamond Plus members, as well as upgrades (D+), in cabin gifts, priority embarkation and debarkation, and a coupon book good for many freebies onboard.

 

If you are set to make a change, you should check them out.

[Bevard]

I agree. Next time will be RCCL for us. We've tried NCL, RCCL, Princess and Carnival. Past experience on RCCL was great. I think the shows were better and loved things like the "main street". To me the food was comparable to Princess. Good age mix and little younger on RCCL. Princess tends to be geared toward a little older crowd. I don't care for Carnival, but would try it again when school/college is in session on a newer ship with a good itinerary.

[jff50]

Perhaps you could tell us what it was that you liked most about the Caribbean Princess.

 

One example, if you had and liked traditional dining--you may want to avoid NCL (they don't have traditional dining). If you had and liked anytime dining, that may steer you towards NCL.

[Emerald22]

Princess Cruise Line now offers any time dining as well in most of their ships. They call it Personal Choice. You have a choice of Traditional Fixed Dining or Personal Choice.

[cnmiranda]

Princess Cruise Line now offers any time dining as well in most of their ships. They call it Personal Choice. You have a choice of Traditional Fixed Dining or Personal Choice.

 

That's an important point also:) If you like the freedom of having a nice meal served to you perhaps later or earlier in the evening Princess is the choice, even for a second time.

 

Regarding food, I used to think RCCL was better than Princess but with our two cruises this past month it almost felt as though RCCL was cutting costs. There was not as much variation at the buffet. One was a repo cruise and the other was a smaller ship. It just wasn't the same as our experience last year. Perhaps it was "off cruises" and like posted above, yes, everyone has their own likes and dislikes.

 

To me Princess' burgers, fries, and pizza are the best. RCCL's fries are more crunchy and Princess' fries are more potatoe-y. Like Burger King vs. McDonalds I guess:)

[nanfromatlanta]

I would suggest any of the Radiance class ships: Radiance, Jewel, Brilliance or Serenade. These ships tend to have fewer kids and none of the 'Mall of America' atmosphere found on the Voyager class ships which have the Royal Promenade that runs almost the entire length of the ship.

[Trevoli]

You say "get drunk and act like an idiot" like it's a bad thing. : D

 

T

[bella25]

Hello! I am 28 and have sailed many times with my girl friends. I would stick with Princess. I have been on Royal, Cunard, and Dinsey and when I did cruise on those lines, I compared all of them to Princess. I haven't sailed with my girl friends in a few years now . . .I should get something booked with them soon. =) I have been on old ships and new ships and love them equally. There are so many ships to choose from. I am going on the Crown in 2 days with my husband. Maybe I'll plan the a cruise on the Crown with my girl friends next summer. (I live 30 minutes from NYC and it's VERY convenient to sail from here). Good luck deciding. Off to go pack! =)